Wiccan by the Wayside
by DragonShadow
Summary: Bubbles' friend tells Bubbles a little bit about her belief structure, but there's someone else who decides that she shouldn't.


Wiccan by the Wayside  
  
  
The silver dust that outlined the star shape on the floor glittered under the flicker candlelight that served as the only light in the small bedroom she had to herself. She picked up the glitter and slowly spread a circle around herself, keeping her eyes half-closed in concentration. She put the glitter down and put her hands on her thighs in front of her, lowering her head.  
  
"Goddess of the Earth, protector of the spirit... I call you." She spoke in a hushed voice since she didn't really want anyone to know. She looked down at the mystical sigil on the floor. A star encompassed by a guardian circle, the Wiccan sigil known by most as the pentagram.  
  
"Please... heed my words and listen to my heart..." She put one hand over the glittering sigil on the floor, waiting for a few minutes for some sign that her plea had been heard. The silence was all she heard, but she knew she'd been answered... her cry had been answered. She just hoped it could help the Powerpuff Girls fend off whatever evil was about to descend...  
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Thirteen years old and still as full of life as ever. Bubbles didn't have a care in the world, breezing through her school day with as much ease as the wind blowing through the forest. Even a pop quiz in math couldn't bring her spirits down. Sometimes it seemed the apocalypse itself couldn't have brought her mood down, but nobody else could deny that she did make even the worst situation seem cheery.  
  
She ran into her friend Carolyn after school in the playground, grinning as broadly as ever. "Hey, I was wondering where you went! You were late for school this morning!" Bubbles exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah I know, sorry. I just felt I had to do something first." Carolyn smiled back as she ran up to her friend. Her skin was pale white with dirty blonde hair and haunting brown eyes. She looked down at Bubbles' books and cleared her throat nervously. "Bubbles, can I take a look at your folder really quick?" She asked.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Bubbles handed it to her friend without question, ever-trusting. Carolyn turned around and opened it, her arms moving for a few moments until she slid something back into her pocket and handed it back to Bubbles. "Thanks, what did you do?"  
  
"Oh just a good luck charm." Carolyn smiled. "Hey, want to come to my place so I can show you a few things?" She asked.  
  
"Sure, why not? Blossom and Buttercup have their after-school activities to go through." Bubbles replied. She started to walk off with her, but they were both halted when a large boy stepped in front of them, blocking their path. He glared down at Carolyn pointedly.  
  
"Not today Brian, okay? I'm trying to spend time with my friend, I don't have time to debate that I'm going to Hell." Carolyn told him sharply.  
  
"You know the Truth, and I won't let you take an innocent girl down into the depths with you." Brian replied, keeping his eyes locked with Carolyn's no matter what.  
  
"What? What are you two talking about?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Nothing Bubbles, come on, Brian just enjoys making a spectacle of himself and everyone else." Carolyn glared up at the bigger boy, tugging bubbles along with her while she hurried away from the school. Bubbles followed beside her with a confused expression, but she forgot it soon enough when they reached her house. They went upstairs and stopped just outside Carolyn's room.  
  
"Now Bubbles... I don't want you to tell anyone else about what I'm going to show you... it's a personal thing and I don't think anyone else would like it..." she said nervously.  
  
"Oh don't worry, I can keep a secret." Bubbles giggled. Carolyn smiled back and nodded before pushing the door open and leading Bubbles inside. It seemed normal to Bubbles, but she closed the door behind her at Carolyn's prodding and followed her over to the bed. Carolyn leaned down and took out a book from under the bed. It was partially covered in silver glitter, which she wiped off.  
  
"This... is my... spell-book." Carolyn handed it to Bubbles, who took it with a curious expression. "It's kind of like a list of little things I do to help people and make life better... my little ways." Carolyn said.  
  
"I don't get it, if you use it to help people why do you want me to keep it a secret?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Because... well... a lot of people don't like this stuff... like Brian." She frowned and took the book from her gently, opening it and thumbing through it. "I showed it to him when we were going out a while ago... he left me and threatened to tell everyone, but I blackmailed him with proof that he... um... wasn't a virgin anymore." She blushed.  
  
"Oh..." Bubbles blinked. "So why are you showing it to me?" She asked.  
  
"Because I can trust you... and I hope to show you what this is really all about before guys like Brian get to you..." She sat down in the bed and patted the place beside her. Bubbles took a seat by her friend and looked down at the open page of the book. There was a symbol of a strange star surrounded by a circle. "This... is a pentagram."  
  
"Wow, it's pretty." Bubbles commented. Carolyn smiled and nodded back.  
  
"Yeah, but it's more than a pretty design. Look..." she pointed to the five points of the star. "Each one of these has a special meaning and purpose." She pointed to the upper right point. "This point represents the element of air, and the power of love."  
  
Bubbles grinned. "Love makes the world go round." She giggled.  
  
Carolyn grinned back and moved onto the next point in the lower right. "This is the point of fire and knowledge." She moved onto the lower left. "This one represents the element of water, and wisdom in all things." She moved up to the upper left point. "And this is the Earth point, symbol of truth." Bubbles smiled and stared down at the sigil, then touched a hand top the very top point.  
  
"What's that one?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"The top? That's the symbol of the spirit and all the power it contains within, presiding over all of the physical powers and symbols." She replied, smiling over at her friend. Bubbles smiled back and looked up at her.  
  
"Wow and you're keeping all of this a secret, I think it's great." Bubbles said.  
  
"Thanks, but please don't tell anyone... chances are they wouldn't think it's so great." Carolyn replied with a small smile.  
  
"Oh don't worry, I won't. Can we come back tomorrow so you can show me more?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Sure, I would be glad to." Carolyn grinned and put one hand on her friends shoulder. "I am so glad I showed this to you Bubbles... I've been keeping this to myself for a long time and... I get lonely sometimes." She admitted.  
  
"Well don't worry, I won't tell a soul, er, spirit." She grinned cutely, prompting a chuckle from her friend. "Well, I think I should get back home before the Professor starts to miss me, but I will be back tomorrow." She got up from the bed.  
  
"Alright, cool. I look forward to it." Carolyn replied with a broad smile as she watched Bubbles leave. She sighed to herself and looked down at the book, unable to stop smiling for the life of her. It was about time she could trust someone with her secret without fearing the consequences. Bubbles was a good friend, the best she could have ever hoped for... she just hoped her premonitions were wrong.  
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Brian stalked along the sidewalk with his hands jammed in his pockets, grumbling to himself. It had taken awhile to come to grips with the fact that he'd actually gone out with a witch, and that now he couldn't tell anyone or they'd find out about his own sins. Even worse than that though was that he was sure she was even now coercing one of the Powerpuff Girls into that path of evil and darkness... he had to do something about it. He couldn't stay quiet anymore.  
  
He went through the church's wide-open archway with his head bowed, trying to think of how he was going to do it. He walked up the isle which was dotted with a few people, though they didn't say anything to him. He walked up to the front, underneath the crucifix and the watchful eye of his Lord and Savior. He brought his hands together gently, searching for some answer to this dilemma...  
  
"What troubles you... my child?" He looked to the side to see a tall, thin man looking down at him. He was wearing the white robes of a minister and had gentle eyes to match.  
  
"I don't know what to do... I know someone is sinning even now, but if I say something about it..." Brian paused and let out a breath, closing his eyes. "If I say something about it I'll be exposed as well..." He was sure he knew what the priest would say. He would tell him to confess his own sins before he could save his friend.  
  
"Really now... well, I think I may be able to help you." Brian looked up in surprise when the priest laid one hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him. His eyes comforted him though, he didn't need to fear this man. "Come, confess everything you know to me, and we will ask the Lord for guidance on what actions we should take."  
  
"Well..." Brian looked up at the crucifix, then down at his own feet as he spoke. "I know someone who uses evil incantations and beliefs... she's strayed from the Path and now I'm afraid she's turning one of Townsville superheroes from the light as well..." The hand on his shoulder squeezed gently, almost in surprise when the priest heard this.  
  
"One of the Powerpuff Girls... you were right to bring this to the Lords attention, young one. Rest assured, he will hear your prayers and deliver the Truth onto both of them." The minister replied with a gentle smile.  
  
"Thank you Father... I have been keeping this for a while now." Brian sighed with relief and nodded up at the older man. He then turned to leave the church, in much better spirits than he had been, confident in the knowledge that His divine hand would show them the Truth. They would be saved, and they would thank him later.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Late that night Bubbles stayed up late logged onto the computer The Professor used for work purposes. She couldn't really remember what Carolyn had said her beliefs were, so she put in the only word she could remember that had been a part of their discussion. 'Pentagram.'  
  
She stared befuddled for a moment at the list of places that came up. They all belonged to sites that had names with something to do with Christianity, and the little synopsis usually said something about the devil or evil or something to that effect. That was strange, Carolyn hadn't told her anything about that, why would all these pages be saying that?  
  
"Bubbles honey, it's time for bed." The Professor poked his head into his small office to smile at his daughter. Bubbles rarely used the computer, so he'd been a bit surprised when she'd asked to. She looked back at him, then forward at the screen again when the contents of the page caught his eye. "Bubbles, what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, I was just looking something up." Bubbles closed the page and exited the browser window. She was about to float out of the room, but the Professor clearing his throat stopped her.  
  
"Bubbles, what were you looking at?" He asked again.  
  
"It was just something a friend told me about, I was curious so I wanted to look it up." Bubbles told him with an innocent, wide-eyed expression on her face.  
  
"It wasn't anything I don't want you looking at, is it?" The Professor asked suspiciously.  
  
"No of course not Professor, I promise." Bubbles put up one hand and closed her eyes solemnly. The Professor chuckled and put one hand on her head, ruffling her hair.  
  
"Alright, go get dressed for bed, your sisters are already laying down." The Professor told her.  
  
"Okay Professor." Bubbles skipped out of the office and went down the hall in search of the bathroom. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to think now, but she promised herself she wouldn't decide anything until she talked to Carolyn tomorrow. She wasn't going to go off of a bunch of random places over her best friends word.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next day was another ordinary day, with the students all going through their daily grind without a hitch and learning from their teachers. Bubbles and Carolyn spent much of the day together, discussing various aspects and symbols of Carolyn's secret. Bubbles was a very curious girl and Carolyn was more than happy to share anything she could, the opportunity to share her own beliefs with someone was very rare.  
  
Bubbles was waiting in the lunch line with her sisters when Brian walked up to her with an ashamed look on his face. He had his hands clasped behind his back and his chin on his chest.  
  
"Hey, listen Bubbles... I'm sorry about the other day." He told her with a ghost of a smile.  
  
"Hey don't worry 'bout it." Bubbles replied. "I don't know why you have to be so mean to Carolyn though, she's really nice." She told him. He looked down at the floor and frowned.  
  
"Well I just wanted to say don't worry... everything will work out for the better, you'll see." Brian said, moving on down to the end of the line before Bubbles could respond.  
  
"What was that all about?" Buttercup mused.  
  
"I have no idea..." Bubbles shrugged and turned back toward the line to wait patiently for their turn to come. She didn't wait too long though before Carolyn walked up to her with a smile on her face.  
  
"Hey Bubbles, how've you been today?" She asked amiably.  
  
"Good..." Bubbles shot a sidelong glance at her sisters and whispered to Carolyn. "Can we talk alone for a minute?" she asked. Carolyn looked a bit nervous, but she nodded affirmation. Bubbles turned back to her sisters for a moment. "I'll be right back girls, I just need to have a little talk with Carolyn real quick." Buttercup and Blossom stared at her in confusion as Bubbles pulled her friend off to the side.  
  
"Um... I got on my dad's computer last night to see what there was about the... um... pentagram thingy... they all said something about evil and stuff... is it true?" Bubbles asked softly. Carolyn sighed and shook her head, though she still looked uneasy.  
  
"No of course not Bubbles, that's just a nasty rumor spread by people who hate the idea of anything but their own religion." Carolyn almost looked like she was pleading her friend not to go nuts. "It's not true, please I'll show you everything after school..." She said.  
  
"Okay, I was only curious..." Bubbles replied with a reassuring smile. "Sorry to ask something you didn't like..."  
  
"It's okay... I've just... lost a few really good friends over this..." Carolyn looked over at Brian, who was eating lunch at a table by the corner. Then she turned back to Bubbles and smiled. "After school, I'll tell you everything you want to know, we can have a slumber party, it'll be great." She exclaimed.  
  
"Hey yeah, a sleepover. That would be wonderful." Bubbles agreed with a grin. This seemed to make Carolyn feel a lot better, since she didn't look as tense as she had been a few moments earlier. Bubbles wasn't inclined to distrust her friend, so she decided to let the topic rest until that night when she would learn more about this stuff. After all, she didn't like hating things she didn't even know about.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The incident left her mind and she went on until the end of the day when her and Carolyn were heading through the playground toward Carolyn's house. They were chatting amiably and skipping along together until someone stepped in front of them with the entire school watching out of curiosity. They looked up at the man, who had a surprisingly gentle face, but his eyes were dead cold.  
  
"I cannot watch one of the Lord's own be pulled from the light." He grabbed Carolyn and pulled her over to him with a yank of her arm. She gave a yelp of surprise and stumbled, though he held her up. "I won't allow you to desecrate one of God's followers."  
  
"Hey, what are you doing to her!? Let her go you big bully!" Bubbles exclaimed, putting her hands up in front of her in a combative gesture. The man looked down at her with something akin to concern on his face.  
  
"Already I can see the poison of her lies staining your soul." The man told her with a shake of his head. "Show my your notebook there, so I may prove to you her evil lies."  
  
"Lies? What the hell are you talking about?" Carolyn demanded angrily. Bubbles looked down at the notebook clutched in her arms, then held it up for the man to take it. He dropped Carolyn to the ground and stepped on her pant leg to hold her in place. She tried to pull it free, but she couldn't move no matter how hard she tried.  
  
"See, here is the proof of her evil!" He held up the notebook with one page in particular showing. On it was a symbol that looked like a circle with four other ovals spreading outward from the center on the diagonal axis. "This girl has put a CURSE on you with her vile powers." He declared.  
  
"A... curse?" Bubbles said, wonderingly.  
  
"Bubbles no it's not a curse, it's a... wah!" Carolyn was interrupted when the man grabbed her and yanked her back to her feet, dragging her along with him.  
  
"We cannot have the Devil taking control of one of our worlds greatest defenders." He dragged Carolyn with him as he made his way through the city streets. Many people came out to see what was going on, and most followed behind them to see what was to happen. Carolyn struggled and complained vehemently until he finally put one hand over her mouth to silence her, holding her firmly to his chest.  
  
"She... put a curse on me? But wait no, let me talk to her! Let her go!" Bubbles exclaimed, streaking in a flash of blue light to catch up with him before he left her eyesight. "Hey I told you to let her go so I can talk to her!" she demanded.  
  
"Very well Powerpuff Girl, let us let God decide her fate." The man whirled and walked into the very center of the city, with more than half of its citizens framing him. "God, savior and maker of us all, give us your will, show us what you want to be done with the HEATHEN." He thrust his hand into the sky, and the ground began to tremble beneath his feet.  
  
All of the spectators gave gasps of surprise and wonder when a wooden pole rose from the cement ground, stretching high into the sky until it seemed to have no end.  
  
"Our Lord has spoken!" He dragged Carolyn up to the pole and shoved her up against it, wrapping her arms around it and tying her to it.  
  
"Stop this, this is crazy!" Carolyn exclaimed, struggling to free her hands. His grip was like iron however, and he had her tied firmly in just a few moments. He moved away and turned to the others, ignoring her continued pleas to let her go.  
  
"We've tolerated these heathens in our midst for far too long, and it's time to set a new example." He turned to stare directly at Bubbles, who was looking on at the proceedings with utter shock etched into her face. "We will wipe out evil in the name of our Lord! Beginning with HER!" He pointed at Carolyn, who just stared back at him hatefully. "She who has tried to defile one of our own guardians."  
  
"I didn't do anything! Let me go!" Carolyn screamed, pulling and tugging at her bonds. Nobody else came to her aide however, they were too dumbfounded and awestruck by this sudden, and very dramatic turn of events.  
  
"Your lies end here." The man took out a piece of wood, which burst into flames the moment it touched the air. Several onlookers gasped at this, staring as he moved toward the pole, moving the fire ever closer.  
  
"STOP IT!" Bubbles streaked in front of him and thrust her arms out to the side, staying between him and his objective. "You leave her alone! She didn't do anything to hurt anyone!"  
  
"She was corrupting your mind with her evil, and it seems she already has." The man replied with a dark scowl on his lips. "Get out of the way, or else you will bring God's righteous wrath down on yourself as well. Nothing can stop His judgement."  
  
"Whatever God says I don't think he says to hurt an innocent girl who didn't do anything to anybody! She told me about her beliefs and her symbols, and they're NOT evil! I'm a superhero, I know evil, and she is NOT evil!" Bubbles countered. Her cries seemed to fall on deaf ears however, as the rest of the citizens gave cries of defiance and seemed ready to do away with whatever evil was in their midst, no matter what it was. Even her sisters looked convinced and set in their path, practically begging Bubbles to change her mind and stop going against them.  
  
"You defy His will? Then you will join her in Hell!" The minister proclaimed, raising his hands into the air. "Righteous citizens of Townsville, the time has come to cleanse this city of its evil influence. This girl is the cause!" He pointed to Carolyn, who had long since given up struggling. "And she... is the victim who can only be saved through the freeing of her soul." He pointed to Bubbles, who narrowed her eyes.  
  
"What... what are you saying?" One of the citizens asked.  
  
"KILL them both and let God redeem their souls in Heaven with His purity! They must both die to be saved!" The man screamed, pointing at Bubbles. Everyone just stared at him in hushed silence, their eyes wide and their mouths agape with shock.  
  
"No! I don't care who you are, this isn't right! She's my friend and she's a good person!" Bubbles screamed back. The crowd of people were murmuring among themselves, many asking what they should do.  
  
"She uses the signs of the Devil to turn good people to evil!" The pastor replied.  
  
"NO! Have any of you ever LOOKED into her beliefs to see what those symbols mean!?" Bubbles demanded. Everyone just stared back, and a few shook their heads. "She told me what that star-thing is that everyone seems to hate so much! She told me what it stands for! And it stands for balance in nature, not the Devil!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Lies! Kill her now before the Devil makes his way into all of you!" The man screamed in anger. Everyone just stared at him, surrounding him discreetly. Blossom and Buttercup moved to stand beside their sister in facing him. "you're all being tricked!" He exclaimed.  
  
"If there's any evil here it's you!" Blossom shouted back.  
  
"Yeah, now why don't you get lost!" Buttercup agreed.  
  
"I said KILL HER!" The priest whirled on the ground, his eyes flashing bright yellow from the fury in them and his voice resounding in a deep, dark tone. The crowd gasped and backed away while the glow faded, leaving him staring down at his hands, fuming.  
  
"It's... HIM!" Bubbles exclaimed, flinching when he whirled on them with pulsing yellow eyes. He leapt from the ground, his clothing bursting into flames and engulfing him in a sheet of fire. The Powerpuff Girls dodged to the side before he could land on them. The flames died down and his bright red form was revealed. He turned to watch the other with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Pitiful little mortals, have no idea what's best for you." Hims dulcet tone almost seemed to be mocking them. "Don't you know you're all going to hell?" He asked.  
  
"The game is up!" Blossom shouted back. "The only person here who belongs in Hell is you! Whatever sick game you were playing is lost!" She said.  
  
"Is it?" Hi replied. "Didn't you notice how easy it was?" He turned to stare directly into Bubbles' eyes, grinning evilly. "How easily I turned everyone in the city against you, if for only a brief time? Your friend was about to be killed, and nobody would have stopped me." He let out a mocking laugh, his eyes boring into hers. "Can you really trust them now, the ones who would have let her die if they thought some higher power had told them to?" His voice grew darker as he spoke again. "You can't, can you? You know the truth."  
  
"Stop it! Stop it!" Bubbles screamed. "It's your lie that caused this, not them!" Bubbles screamed.  
  
"It was so easy." Hims voice grew dulcet again as he moved over to lean against the wooden pole. "I didn't even have to control them, a few words about God and they were all mine."  
  
"Shut up!" Bubbles threw herself at Him, but he leapt back away from the pole, floating in the air further away from the crowd. She threw herself at him again and threw a hard punch, but he thrust one claw forward and a crimson beam shot her right back into the wooden pole.  
  
"Remember this lesson, little Bubbles. Anyone can betray you, you can't trust anyone, because you never know who might come along after me to lead them on a holy crusade." Him laughed and threw his arms to the sides, a crimson flash blinding everyone. When it cleared enough for them to look again he was gone, vanished into the air as suddenly as he'd appeared in the city.  
  
Finally several people got up the sense to rush forward to untie Carolyn and help Bubbles stand up since she was still in shock, staring into the empty air.  
  
Blossom and Buttercup held their sister up and turned to look at Carolyn, who walked over to Bubbles and wrapped the blond puff up in a fierce hug. "Thank you..." she sighed and held the puff close, with Bubbles hugging her back more slowly. When she pulled back Bubbles looked thoughtful and demure, staring at nothing in particular.  
  
"Bubbles? Are you okay?" Blossom asked worriedly. Bubbles looked down at her notebook which had fallen on the floor. She picked it up and opened it, taking out the page with Carolyn's symbol on it.  
  
"Carolyn... what does this symbol mean?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"It's a symbol for protection... I had a bad feeling something was about to happen so I snuck it into your folder..." Carolyn replied, looking at Bubbles worriedly. "Bubbles if you're worried about what he said, don't be. Everything will be fine if we all just respect each other and learn to spot people who just want to use this stuff for their personal gain." She said. The Powerpuffs nodded back, but they stopped when they heard footsteps beside them.  
  
They turned to see Brian rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Cary... um... look..." He stuttered.  
  
"Yuh-huh?" Carolyn replied, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. He sighed and looked down at the ground.  
  
"Look I'm sorry... I didn't mean for anyone to try to kill you... I thought... well I wanted to save you and Bubbles..." He confessed.  
  
"Brian, listen to me." She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "I don't need saving, I never have. I know you think I'm going to Hell, but if I am then this is how I want to live in the meantime. I don't need you to save me, I just need you to understand and let me be how I want to be. And another thing, I do NOT worship Satan and I'm not working for him, alright?"  
  
"Okay I got it I think..." Brian shook his head and looked up at the sky. "I... won't try to convert you or... try to get I your way anymore." He told her.  
  
"Well thank you... and I won't try to convince you that my religion is better." Carolyn agreed. Brian looked over at her, then smiled out of the corner of his mouth. By now the crowds had begun to disperse now that the commotion had all ended. The Professor made his way over to them though, and frowned sadly when he saw Bubbles.  
  
"Honey look... I'm sorry I doubted you... and so is everyone else..." He sighed and put one hand on her shoulder. "Can you forgive us?" He asked. She stared up at him and put one hand on his.  
  
"Professor..." Bubbles stared into the eyes of her creator, then looked around at her sister, Brian and Carolyn, the rest of the citizens of Townsville. She blinked and looked up at the sky, trying to think though her mind felt a bit hazy. "What would happen... if someone else came and did what Him tried to do... would it happen again? Would I be able to stop you next time..."  
  
"Bubbles, sweetie it will never happen again." The Professor grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce hug.  
  
"Yeah Bubbles... we've learned our lesson, this was a mistake." Blossom chimed in. "We were all so brought in by his claims to want to stamp out evil... we just went along with it."  
  
"Yeah, we didn't see that he was just using that promise to cover his tracks and turn us against you... push his own agenda... not until it was almost too late." Buttercup admitted.  
  
"You see Bubbles... it won't happen again because we know what we did wrong... please, forgive us?" The Professor repeated, staring into those big, bright blue eyes. She blinked and stared up at him, then finally smiled and nodded.  
  
"Of course, I could never stay mad at you... or any of you." She turned to smile at her sisters, then the rest of Townsville. Still The Professor could see a tinge of doubt in her eyes though, something that may never leave her. They'd blindly followed someone who claimed to speak for right and justice... but nobody ever stopped to think that he was only working toward his own ends.  
  
THE END 


End file.
